At least 21 dead as remnants of polar vortex head Northeast

Feb. 1 (UPI) -- The polar vortex that put the Midwest into a deep freeze this week is being blamed for at least 21 deaths, as its effects now move to the northern East Coast.

Officials said four men froze to death in their homes in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan and six people died in traffic accidents in Iowa. A pedestrian was hit with a snowplow in Illinois, where another was found dead in a Fed Ex distribution center. In Milwaukee, a woman froze to death inside an apartment after the thermostat malfunctioned.

Hospitals across the Midwest had numerous cases of frostbite and hypothermia this week.

In Wheeling, Ill., nine people, including a 2-month-old infant, were hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning after they used a charcoal grill to heat their home. All were expected to survive.

The severe cold also put a strain on power plants and some outages were reported in isolated areas. Much of the region will see relief Friday, with temperatures rising again above zero. By the weekend, forecasters said they will be in the 40s or 50s with rain.

Now, it's the the Northeast that'll deal with subzero wind chills. Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut were expected to drop to single digit temperatures Friday.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency in several counties and instructed some government workers to stay home. More than 13 inches of snow have already fallen in Buffalo. Subzero temperatures are also possible for New York City.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio urged people to "bundle up and stay inside as much as possible."

Airlines canceled 2,300 flights nationwide Thursday, FlightAware reported -- after scrapping more than 2,700 a day earlier.